August 26th, 2009 - Tortilla Soup with Lime and Tomato

It was mid-week and I was feeling like something on the lighter side. It was also a busy workday so something low on the effort scale was definitely preferable. As I’m flipping through "Savor the Moment" I came across the Tortilla Soup with Lime and Tomato. I am a big fan of tortilla soup in general: the cheese the chicken, the spiciness – what’s not to like? Interestingly, this particular recipe happens to be a vegetarian version. Hmmmm. Now this is bound to come out sooner or later but I am a hopeless carnivore. The concept of a meal without some type of animal protein just does not compute. However, in the spirit of this adventure I decided to just stick with the recipe - as is. I actually purchased vegetable stock for the first time – BIG! In keeping with the theme of a lighter night on the eating front - no wine tonight; however, a Corona with lime would be a great choice if you are so inclined.

The Dish:
Tortilla Soup with Lime and Tomato (pg. 118)

The Drink:
Corona with Lime

The ingredients were easy enough to grab on my way home from work: fresh cilantro, tomatoes, jalapenos, Monterey Jack cheese, limes all present and accounted for. There’s a little bit of prep with chopping the fresh tomatoes, onion and chiles but it’s well worth it – everything’s so nice and fresh. Start to finish, the soup only took about 30 minutes to make. I used one jalapeno pepper but if you like it spicy you could definitely use two. Also, be sure to salt the tomatoes well prior to simmering so they release their juices. And I highly suggest using only fresh lime juice – no squeeze bottle here – the fresh lime really adds fantastic flavor. I have to say, when the soup was ready I was very pleasantly surprised. It really had lots of great texture and limey deliciousness and will definitely fulfill your daily vitamin C requirement. Now I must confess, naughty carnivore that I am, I panicked at the last minute and slipped in a cubed chicken breast before serving! Either way this soup is a nice, light dish perfect for a mid-week meal, vegetarian or not. Enjoy!